Coding device



July 1 1924.

s. H. HUNTINGTON CODING DEVICE Filed Dec. 51 1921 Patented July 1, 1924.

- UNITED STATES- PATENT OFFICE.

srENcERH. HuNTING'roN, or KER-RVILLE, TEXAS.

CODING DEVICE.

Application filed December 31, 1921. SeriaINo. 526,240.

message or manuscript into cipher and the cipher back into manuscript or language.

Another object of the invention is to provide means whereby a single letter or character can be used as the key of the cipher and to so arranged the letters or characters that any letter of the alphabet or any character of a series of characters used can be used for the key character.

Another object of the invention is to provide means whereby letters or characters can be used to indicate spaces between words.

This invention also consists in certain other features of construction and in the combination and arrangement of the several parts, to be hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and specifically pointed out in the appended claims;

In describing my invention in detail, reference will be had to the accompanying drawings wherein like characters denote like or corresponding parts, throughout the several views, and in which Figure 1 is a face view of the invention.

Figure 2 is a sectional view thereof.

Figure 3 is a face View of the device showing the letter W in use as a key letter.

As shown in these views the device comprises a lower disc 1 and an upper disc 2 which is rotatably connected with the-lower disc by the eyelet 3. The upper disc is of less diameter than the lower disc so that the outer part of the lower disc is exposed to view. This exposed part of the lower disc is divided by the radial lines 4 into twentyseven (27) spaces, one space being left blank and the others containing the letters of the alphabet arranged in clockwise direction. The outer part of the upper disc is also divided by radial lines into twenty-seven (27) spaces, one of which is left blank and the others containing the letters of the al-.

phabet. These letters, however, are arrangedin counterclockwise direction. It will of course be understood that the other characters may be used instead of the letters of the alphabet.

By having the characters reading in 0pposite directions onthe two discs 2. single letter or character can be used as the key for each different cipher- For instance, by placing the characters A together the device is set for one code series. By placing'the characters G together the device is set for another code series. Thus only one key is used and this can be inserted in a pre-arranged place in the cipher message, allowing the cipher to carry its own key.

By placing a blank space on each disc the spaces between the words of the message can be indicated by letters thus making the letter grouping entirely different in the orig inal and cipher.

The ciphers are made by spelling out the original message on one disc and using the letters on the other disc for the code.

. Due to the fact that the sets of letters are oppositely arranged and also to the fact that the number of spaces is odd, there will always be one certain letter in one set radiall adjoining its duplicate in the other set which constitutes the key letter. This arrangement is also of greater advantage in coding inasmuch as all the other different pairs of letters which are radially adjacent lie in conversed couples, that is, if G of the inner set adjoins X of the outer set the C of the outer set will similarly adjoin the X of the inner set. In coding this means that where the eye happens to light on the desired letter, whether in the inner set or outer set, its cipher equivalent will be found adjoining, regardless of whether the operator is coding from the inner to the outer set or the opposite. This facilitates the ciphering and deciphering considerably.

The blank space makes it possible to indicate the spaces between words by their equivalent code letter, making the lettergrouping entirely different in original and cipher.

The key being a single letter may be incorporated within the cipher message itself at the beginning, the end, or any other prearranged location, or, being known and understood between both correspondents, may be omitted entirely.

' To illustrate coding with this device I code the sentence Buy pork, using W as a key letter. VVs of both series adjoin. Reading from either dial, the equivalent of B is q; of U is y and of Y is' 11'; space between wordszs; P becomes 0; O is d; R is a and K is 11. Thus the completed cipher becomes Wqyuscdahl/V being the key letter, or using U as key letter the cipher is Umuqoz Xd or Muqoz Xdu with the key at the end.

The key letter may also be changed in a pre-arranged manner during the course of the message (at the end of each word, for instance).

I A message coded in this manner defies all present known methods of deciphering because there is no fixed relationship between the text and cipher and furthermore the mathematical relationship of the 26 letter alphabet is broken by the introduction of the 27th factor, a variable quantity.

It is thought from the foregoing description the advantages and novel features of my invention willbe readily apparent.

'I desire it to be understood that I may make changes in the construction and in the combination and arrangement of the sev eral parts, providedthat such changes fall within the scope of the appended claims.

lNhat I claim is 1. A ciphering device comprising a supporting member, a disc rotatably mounted thereon and a circular row of characters on both the disc and supporting-member, the characters of one row being reversely ar Turn the small dial until the ranged in relation to those on the other, and a blank space in each row.

' 2. A device of the class described com prising a supporting member, a disc rotatably mounted thereon, said supporting 7 member and disc having an annular row of characters thereon, the characters on each element consisting of the letters of the alphabet, the letters on the disc being reversely arranged with respect to those on the supporting member and a blank space being left between a pair of the letters on each element.

3.'A device of the class described comprising a lower disc and an upper disc rotatably connected together, the lower disc being of greater diameter than the upper disc, each disc having its outer edge divided into an annular row of spaces by radial V In testimony whereof I mix ,my signa ture; 

